STAND. COM. REP. NO. 875

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1582

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1582 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to fund, for fiscal biennium 2005-2007, all collective bargaining cost items relating to the Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund in the agreement negotiated with the exclusive bargaining representative of collective bargaining unit (9), registered professional nurses.

In addition, the measure also funds, for fiscal biennium 2005-2007, the cost items relating to the Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund authorized under chapter 89C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for employees who are excluded from collective bargaining.

Although no sums have been appropriated or authorized from the sources of funding indicated in the measure, your Committee believes that a vehicle for funding these collective bargaining cost items, salary increases, and other cost adjustments should continue to advance in the Legislature as negotiations between the State and the exclusive bargaining representative for unit (9) will eventually produce a settlement.

 

Your Committee has amended the measure by:

(1) Changing the reference in section 2 of the measure from "fiscal biennium 2005-2006" to "fiscal biennium 2005-2007";

(2) Inserting language that authorizes the various departments and agencies to expend the funds allotted;

(3) Inserting language that clarifies that the appropriation for excluded employees contained in the measure applies to those excluded employees who belong to the same compensation plan as those officers and employees within collective bargaining unit (9); and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1582, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1582, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair